Scope: Visual Art & Creative Direction | Client: Allied Esports & HyperX | Duration: 2 Years | Years: 2021-2023

As lead designer for the parent company’s inception, I was tasked with collaborating with the marketing director to cultivate the HyperX Arena’s creative department/visual identity and developed an in-house team of various artists, editors and writers to slash agency costs and produce homegrown, high quality digital/physical content to all project proposals and marketing initiatives.

On behalf of the department, I led the creative direction for the venue’s branding, strategizing with the inputs of HP/HyperX’s executive team and the company stakeholders on how to best represent the voice of the naming rights partnership, resulting in developing a brand that embodies the edgy boldness and finesse of gaming and giving esports a home and footprint on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Challenge

With this project being my first large-scale campaign as an art director/senior designer leading a creative team, there was surely anxiety in the air wanting to make a lasting impression not only to the executive team but also the Las Vegas Strip as this project will be seen publicly around the city. However, having been with the company for 4 years, seeing the venue grow from its grand opening in 2017/2018, and knowing the community values/culture, the creative process almost felt second nature just from familiarity alone.

THe Result: #GamersLiveHere

We ended up with the “#GamersLiveHere” campaign as an emphasis to being a venue (or “playground”) for gamers, creators and brands to fit their culture and audience. It also has a deeper meaning being the first esports entertainment venue on the Strip, giving the gaming and streaming community a home in the most popular part of the city.

In my creative direction, I wanted to personify the boldness and excitement of the competitive edge and also capture the finesse behind the accuracy and strategic skill, while indirectly paying homage to gaming culture through the branding elements.

Activations and Merchandise

Soon after the primary branding project was finished, we discussed further expanding the breadth of the campaign into merchandising and activations. With how popular streetwear and pop culture was to the gaming/streaming community, we took a lot of influence from tv, anime, and cyberpunk designs and splashed that influence across retail and internal staff apparel. Allied Esports and HyperX Arena were partnered with multiple other properties, including the Luxor, UNLV, and our very own mobile esports truck, all which required specific designs and wraps that reflected the updated branding.

[HXALV] Arena Hero Image - 16x9_72dpi.jpg